I've made some of this jelly yesterday and it looked like that it hadn't set very well - very sloppy.
So today I emptied the jars to reheat the jelly and add a little bit more sugar with pectin to encourage the setting.
As soon as I emptied the jars I realised that it had set better then I realised but as I couldn't replace the jelly without heating I carried on. The jelly has now become a lot thicker and has turned a lovely amber colour, however it is now full of little air bubbles. It tastes rather good but will these air bubbles have any effect on the jelly.
(http://i54.tinypic.com/2uz8855.jpg)
NB It was so thick that I could place a chilli into the centre of the jelly which I thought made it very arty ! MOH comment was to say they looked like I was growing an alien in a jar !
Don't worry won't have any effect, just pretend that you took all your inspiration from those champagne jellies... ;D
Oooh, is that a whole chilli in the jar, or something unpleasant climbing up the outside? ;)
Will the jelly get hotter the longer it is kept?
Quote from: redcoat on September 21, 2011, 07:40:24
Oooh, is that a whole chilli in the jar, or something unpleasant climbing up the outside? ;)
Will the jelly get hotter the longer it is kept?
I did put a whole chilli in each jar, more for decoration and a couple of them do look rather peculiar !!
I think there will be some effect form the jelly surrounding the actual chilli but I don't think it will affect the whole jar. I could be proved wrong, will wait and see depending how long they last !!
The bubbles in the jelly won't hurt it, it's just that your jelly was too thick and the bubbles couldn't escape from the liquid before it set.
Be patient with jellies - some take a few days to set, some set like concrete in minutes!
I'd be a bit concerned about the sealing of your jars and the chilli inside. It's hard to see from your picture but it looks like there is just cellophane film on top, it doesn't look taught or airtight. IMHO it's best to use screwtop lids.
The other thing thats hard to see is whether the chilli in the middle was cooked with the jelly or put in afterwards in a raw state. If it wasn't cooked in the jelly, it will decay eventually.
Anyhow, you can always keep the jars in the fridge and eat it all very quickly ;D
I think JennyM is making a good point fitsie, I've now been converted to using the hot water method for bottling all jams and chutneys- and if the chilli was just put in the jelly raw it would not be preserved by the jelly.
There's lots of info. on this site about it if you do a search or look back at hot water method posts.
sorry all sounds a bit kiljoy'ish, but all that effort growing and making the produce makes that bit extra effort worthwhile. You're jelly looks lovely and clear ;)
Comments about the chillies make sense. Yes they are raw and I only did this as a result of reading about it on a web site, which I will try and find again to check what else was said. Soooooooo , what do I do now with the jelly? I have room in the fridge to keep the jars , will that stop the chilli decaying as I don't think I will eat them that quickly or should I just get the chillis and reheat slowly again ? First time doing this so grateful for your thoughts ( & won't take any offence!!)
If you have the tops for the jars you could pressure treat them. They need to be the type of top that pops to indicate it was sealed. Or use the hot water bath method but need far longer, will try and answer any more q's but I'm new to this method myself. I only learned on here recently that our methods we use in England are outdated.
See posts by Jeannine on the subject.
x Anne